Retail Marketing Redefined: The Store Window

“How much is that doggie in the window?”

The title of an old song, and a question that one seeking a puppy should no longer ask because it’s not cool to purchase canines that are displayed in windows.

Things change. Contexts shift. Belief systems expand.

Meanings evolve.

The retail marketer should know that last one better than anyone. As the shopper has become more powerful and demanding, marketers have had to rethink almost everything that constitutes “her trip to the store.”

The shopper experience has transcended; it has evolved into the Shopper Moment. It’s a place where the element of surprise is simply the price of entry, and details are paramount.

Those details include the very language we speak. The words retail marketers have used for decades – signage, shopping bag, fitting room – are being redefined to reflect the opportunities they present in this new emotionally interactive environment. Retailers must expand their perspectives and see the untapped potential in seemingly mundane tools of the trade.

Like the store window.

The retail marketers who view the window as just a glass-fronted peek into the store don’t understand the Shopper Moment. They can’t see beyond the old-school, literal point of view, and are unable (or unwilling) to reimagine how “what used to be” can become a shining Moment. (Maybe those marketers should try something else – like conscientious dog breeding on a large, beautiful farm.)

For the rest of us, here are 42 things a store window can also be.

1. A mirror
2. A time machine
3. A portal
4. An invitation
5. A work of art
6. A siren’s song
7. A promise
8. A crystal ball
9. A sneak preview
10. A play in one act
11. An affirmation
12. A come-on
13. A selfie backdrop
14. A tease
15. An inspiration
16. An exploration
17. A movie screen
18. An escape
19. A confirmation
20. A clarification
21. A poem
22. A call-to-action
23. A traffic stopper
24. A cultural lens
25. A microscope
26. An aftermath
27. A welcome distraction
28. A dare
29. A come-hither look
30. A pop culture happening
31. A permission slip
32. A love note
33. A perspective changer
34. An enticement
35. A how-to
36. A provocation
37. A mood elevator
38. A shot of courage
39. A jolt
40. An encouragement
41. A welcome mat
42. A memory in the making